Pátzcuaro II San Pedrito Wastewater Treatment Plant, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán

Pátzcuaro II San Pedrito is a municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. The facility serves an estimated population of 36,509, placing it in the medium-agglomeration category under Mexican water management frameworks. The plant is situated in the historic town of Pátzcuaro, near the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro, a culturally and ecologically significant water body in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. As a Mexican wastewater facility, the plant operates under the national water law (Ley de Aguas Nacionales) and is subject to official Mexican standards (NOM-001-SEMARNAT) that set discharge limits for pollutants. For a plant serving around 36,500 people, secondary treatment is typically required to meet these standards. The regulatory framework ensures that facilities of this scale must achieve adequate treatment to protect receiving waters. The plant's treated effluent ultimately reaches Lake Pátzcuaro, a shallow, high-altitude lake that supports diverse aquatic life and is an important migratory bird habitat. The lake drains into the Lerma River basin, which flows westward to the Pacific Ocean. Protecting water quality in this watershed is critical for maintaining the lake's ecological health and the livelihoods of local communities that depend on fishing and tourism.

Pátzcuaro II San Pedrito discharges into the Lake Pátzcuaro watershed, a closed basin that feeds the Lerma River system. Lake Pátzcuaro is a high-altitude, shallow lake that supports endemic fish species and serves as a critical stopover for migratory waterfowl along the Central Flyway. The lake's ecological balance is sensitive to nutrient loading and pollution, making effective wastewater treatment essential for preserving biodiversity and water quality in this region.